Freight container



Nov. 8, 1938:

R. A. NORBOM FREIGHT CONTAINER Filed April 6, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet lLLLLLLLlLll-LLHE mumcmmt INVENTOR BY I ATTORNEYS Nov; 8, 1938. R. A.NORBOM 2,135,526

F'RE IGHT CONTAINER Filed April 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES FREIGHT CONTAINER Ragnar A. Norbom,

tor Terminals Company,

poration of Delaware Clifton, N. J assignor to M- New York, N. Y., acor- Application April 6, 1936, Serial No. 72,897

11 Claims.

This invention relates to a freight container, preferably a--demountable body adapted to be carried by a highway truck and movedintact with its load onto a railway flat car for transportation, thisbody usually being transferred again at the rail destination to ahighway truck for delivery.

The general object of this invention is to provide a strong and at thesame time comparatively light container structure, and especiallyrelates to the novel features of roof construction which are hereafterexplained.

My improved freight container has a roof of corrugated sheeting, theridges and valleys of which extend transversely of the body. This roofcomprises a plurality of sheets placed on the roof frame in overlappingrelation and 'terminating just short of each end. A preformed end memberis provided, joining the ends of the corrugated sheeting to the upperportion of the end top wall.

Along the sides of the body adjacent the eaves, the corrugation sheetingis fastened to the side walls by a novel angle plate construction,together with reinforcing bars extending from the body to the roof.Adjacent the over-' lapping sections of corrugated roofing there isplaced at predetermined intervals cross members, one lying on top of theroof in one of the valleys and theother lying beneath an adjacent ridgeof the roof.

The cross members, which are preferably pipes, are effectively securedto the top portion of the car'side and to the roof. Preferably, theunderpipe is welded to the inturned portion of an eave plate and hassecured to it means for holding a longitudinal batten strip resting onthe roof, and the end portion of the top pipe lies between the battenstrip and overlapping sections of the corrugated roofing, and may besecured to the batten strip.

The invention comprises a body having the various features aboveoutlined, cooperating to produce the desired roof construction, andthus, an object of my invention may be said to be the provision of anovel roof for a demountable body which not only permits the componentparts to be formed in a very efiicient manner, 50 but entails the novelfeatures above mentioned for securing the various parts together into anintegral unit.

Other specific objects of my invention will appear from the disclosurefollowing and from reference to the drawings hereto appended, while thenovel features of my invention will be set forth in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of ademountable body employing my improved roof construction; Fig. 2 is aplan of the top of such a body showing a fragment of the corrugated roofin place and the exposed roof beams associated therewith; Fig. 3 is anend elevation of a demountable body employing my improved roof; Figs. 4and 5 are cross sections, as indicated by the lines 4-4 and 5-5,respectively, on Fig. 2, showing the manner in which the corrugatedroofing is secured to the body; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevationadjacent the body eaves showing a pair of cross-members lying inchannels in the roof and joining the same to the body, and to eachother; Fig. '7 is a section, as indicated by the line 1-1 on Fig. 2,showing the improved form of end plate construction used with myinvention.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that my demountable body comprisesside walls or sheets 20 carrying side doors 2| adjacent the midregion,and that the end walls comprise sheets 22 and end doors 23, such wallsbeing secured to a suitable floor frame. Lift hook straps 25 aredisposed at the sides of the body and secured to the side walls andfloor frame and project above the top thereof to form hooks 26, by whichthe body is adapted to be engaged to be lifted from or deposited on asuitable vehicle or other support. Side braces 21 are provided, whichare carried angularly on the sides 20, and approach close to the hookstraps 25 at their upper ends to aid in transmitting stresses from thelower portion of the body and the floor frame to the hooks.

A preformed end member 35 is provided to joint the corrugated roofing tothe end wall and the end portions of the side walls, as shown in Fig. 7.This preformed member comprises a unitary construction embodying a shellhaving a downwardly facing portion at the end, terminating in a lowerflange 31; and an upper shell portion curved to conform to the desirablecontours of the roof and indicated generally at 38. The inner open endof the shell portion comprises a plurality of ridges and valleys 39,shaped to conform to the corrugations of the roof 40, which is securedthereto as by welding or other suitable means. The lower flange portion31 of the preformed shell is secured to a downwardly facing channelmember 33 of the end wall by an angle bar 4|, and may be welded joinedtogether.

thereto or otherwise secured. For convenience of assembly, it has beenfound desirable to ;secure the angle 4| to the channel 33 by rivets 42.The shells 22 are secured at their upper ends to the outer flange of thechannel 33. The side sheets 20 overlap the vertical skirt of the preformed member and may be welded or riveted thereto. v 1 I The roof issecured to the side walls 20, substantially as shown in Fig. 4, that isto say, each side wall is formed at its upper end with an inwardly bentportion 41 forming a flange inclining upwardly at a slight angle. Theouter side of the sheet and the top flange are. reinforced by an outerplate 46, which together with the side wall forms an eave plate and aninward flange. j M V The container wall is braced near its top by alongitudinal angle bar 44 running lengthwise of the container. This barbridges the side doorway and, as illustrated in Fig. 5, may coact di-'rectly with the top of the door. As shown in that figure, the doorcomprises an inner layer of wood or fibrous material and two facinglayers H of metal and a top boundary channel 12. On the outer side ofthis channel is formed a bead 73. The door is adapted to be raised afterit is swung into closed position, so that the top of its boundarychannel may abut the under flange of the body angle 44 and the'bead abutthe depending edges of the side wall construction, as claimed in a priorapplication assigned to my assignee. a y

The reinforcing eave member 46 terminates at its inner portion in achannel construction 49,

whichin turn provides a repository for a reinforcing member 48. Bracesor struts in the form of pipes 59 abut the channel portion 49 of theflange 46 atone end and at the other end lie at the apex of the anglemember 44. These pipe members are secured rigidly-in place to thechannel and angle member in any desired manner, for instance, bywelding. The inner flange member 47 terminates short of the channel 48in a position substantially abutting said channel.

The corrugated roof, as heretofore mentioned, comprises a plurality ofsections adapted to overlap each other at places where they are areplacedwith respect to each otherto provide a substantial overlap. Abattenistrip 51 is provided, extending along the edge of the corru--gated roofing from oneend of the body to the other. The two sections of.corrugatedsheeting, above referred to, are joined together and s curedto the batten by a pair ofcross-members 60 and 6|, which preferably arelengths ofpipe of suitable curvature to conform substantially tothecontour of the bottom and top of the valleys in which they respectivelyseat.

The cross members 6| lie beneath one of the transverse ridges of theroofing 56, and extend other. The lower portion of the pipe member 6| iswelded to. the upper substantially horizontal flange of the angle member46, thus in turn securing the sheeting 55 to the sides of the de- Thus,as shown in Fig. 6, acorrugated sheet 55 and a corrugated sheet 56-parent that I have provided a roof construction for a demountable bodywhich permits'the use of several sheets of corrugated roofing plates insuch manner that each may overlap the other and be rigidly securedtogether, and effectively supported and secured to the side and endwalls of the body.

I claim: 7

1. In a freight container, the combination of sideand end Walls, a roofcarried by said walls comprising a plurality of corrugated plates, withthecorrugations of oneplate overlying the corrugations of another plate,and a pair of holding devices extending lengthwise of the corrugationgrooves, one of said devices engaging the top surface of a plate'and theother engaging the bottom surface of a plate to secure said platestogether without piercing them.

2. In afreight container, the combination of A side and end'walls, aroof carried by said walls comprising a plurality of corrugated plates,with the corrugations of one plate overlying the corrugations of anotherplate, and means'to secure said platestogether comprising a" member onone face of the roof engaging one of the plates at the overlap and a theroof engaging the overlap, the member other plate adjacent the on theunderside of the roof being connected to the side walls and there.

being means beyondthe edge of the roof for connecting 'suchunder memberwith the upper member. 7 V V 3. In a freight container, the combinationof side and end walls, a roof: adapted to rest on said walls comprisinga pluralityof sheets of corrugated material, a member disposed in theValley of one of said sheets, a second member member on the other sideof underlying an adjacent ridge of the other of said corrugated sheets,and a common restraining means to which both of said members aresecured.

4. A freight container comprising, side walls,

a roof consisting of a plurality of corrugated plates with thecorrugations of oneplateioverlying the corrugations of another plate, amem berdisposed beneath the ridge of one of said corrugations, a battenstrip lying across said corrugated sheets, a U clip having one armsecured to said memberand extending outside said sheet' 60 mg. and overthe top of said batten strip, whereby, said underlying member is securedto said batten strip;

5. A freight containercomprising side walls, a roof consisting of aplurality of corrugated plates with the corrugations disposedlin thevalleys formed by saidoverlapping corrugations, ahollow cross memberdisposed adjacent theflrst mentioned cross'mem facing valley on theunder--v side the margins of said roof and over the top of one plateoverlying the corrugations of another plate, a cross member.

member and extending out plates and adjacent the first cross member, and

a batten strip lying across said corrugated sheets and secured to bothof said cross members.

'7. A freight container having side walls, inwardly projecting portionsat the tops of the side walls comprising two plates, one surmounting'the other, lengthwise extending abutments provided by downwardly bentportions of the upper plate beyond the inner edge of the lower plate,diagonally disposed braces between theside walls and the dependingabutments, and a roof resting on the top member of said inwardlyprojecting plates and secured thereto.

.8. A freight container having side walls terminating at the top inportions extending inwardly, said portions carrying downwardly extendinglongitudinal abutments some distance inside of the side wall, angle barson the inner side of the side walls secured to them some distance belowthe inwardly extending portions, diagonal braces in the form ofoccasional pipes seating at their lower ends in the angle bars and attheir upper ends against the abutments, and a' roof resting on andsecured to said inwardly extending portions.

9. A freight container having a roof comprising corrugated sheeting withits ridges and valleys extending transversely, a transverse pipe lyingwithin one of the ridges, and a U-shaped clip entering the pipe andextending around the edge of the roof onto the opposite face thereof.

10. A freight container having a roof comprising corrugated sheetingwith the ridges and valleys extending transversely, a transverse pipelying within one of the ridges below the sheeting, a batten strip on topof the sheeting adjacent the edge, and a U-shaped clip having one armextending into the pipe and the other arm overlying the batten strip.

11. In a demountable body having end walls and side walls, a roof forsaid body comprising a plurality of sheets of corrugated roofing havingthe ridges and valleys thereof extending transversely of the body,batten strips along the side edges of said corrugated roofing, a pair ofsecuring members for said roof positioned adjacent overlapping portionsof said sheeting, one of said members lying on top of the roof in avalley formed by such overlapping, said other member lying beneath theroof within a ridge and positioned to secure said sheeting between itand said batten and a U-clip extending from the last named member aroundthe edge of the sheeting and overlying said batten and rigidly securedthereto, said clip also being rigidly secured to said roof.

RAGNAR A. NORBOM.

